Government’s Listeria test causes recall of Eat Smart kale bagged salad kits

For the second time in two months, kale salad kits packaged under the Eat Smart brand are under recall because government sampling testing returned positive results for Listeria monocytogenes.

Canadian officials did not report how many individual salad kits are affected by the recall. They also did not report how many pounds total are included in the recall, per the policy of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Curation Foods, known until this year as Apio, recalled its Eat Smart “Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad Bag Kits” because of CFIA testing. Curation distributed the kale salad kits to retailers in New Bruswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and possibly other Canadian provinces, the government reported.

Consumers are urged to check their homes for unused portions of the recalled salad and throw it away. The recalled Eat Smart “Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad Bag Kits” are packaged in 340-gram (12-ounce) bags. They have the UPC number 7 09351 89145 8 and any of the following codes: FEB 16 2016; 2019 FE 16; 2 01B 032; 2 01A 032; or 2 000 32.

December 2018 recall
In mid-December the company — then known as Apio Inc. of Guadalupe, CA — recalled several flavors of its Eat Smart brand pre-made salads that were distributed to 11 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces. Routine testing by inspectors in Canada returned positive results for Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of one of the flavors.

The recalled salads were part of the Eat Smart “Shake Ups” line. Apio initiated the recall after the CFIA informed company officials that a random sample of Eat Smart Single-Serve Salad Shake Ups Sweet Kale/Chou Frise Doux tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

At the time, Apio officials said as a precautionary measure they recalled all products produced on the same day and on the same production line as the sample that tested positive for the bacteria.

Additional information for consumers
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick, according to the CFIA. Even if some of the salad has been consumed and no one in the household has become ill, consumers should throw away any unused portions of the recalled kale salad.

It can take up to 70 days after exposure for symptoms of Listeria infection to develop. Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled product and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical treatment and tell their doctors about the possible Listeria exposure.

Also, anyone who has eaten any of the recalled product should monitor themselves for symptoms during the coming weeks. 

Symptoms of Listeria infection can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Specific laboratory tests are required to diagnose Listeria infections, which can mimic other illnesses. 

Pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and people such as cancer patients who have weakened immune systems are particularly at risk of serious illnesses, life-threatening infections and other complications. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, their infections can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth.

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